Pang-BengbuWade-Giles romanization Peng-pu, also spelled Peng-pu, Pinyin Bengbu, Bangbucity, north-central Anhwei Anhui sheng (province), China. The name area is mentioned in the early 1st millennium BCBCEin connection with myths surrounding the cultural hero Emperor YüYu. Throughout most of Chinese history, however, it was only a small market town and port on the middle course of the Huai River. The city comprises two parts—greater Pang-puBengbu, on the southern bank of the Huai, and little Pang-puBengbu, on the northern bank.

Pang-pu’s Bengbu’s modern growth began with the construction in 1912 of the great trunk railway from Tientsin Tianjin to P’u-k’ouPukou, opposite NankingNanjing, on the Yangtze River—a River (Chang Jiang)—a route that crossed the Huai. The river traffic on the Huai made Pang-pu Bengbu the natural collecting centre for the agricultural produce from much of northern Anhui, especially grain, cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), and soya beans, from much of northern Anhwei. Pang-pu’s soybeans. Bengbu’s importance as a communication centre was further increased with the completion in 1944 of a railway linking it to Ho-fei Hefei and to the Huai-nan Huainan coalfield. In addition, it is also at the centre of a road an expressway network connecting it with K’ai-feng Luohe in Honan Henan province to the northwest and with Ho-fei west, with Xuzhou to the north, with Nanjing to the southeast, and with Hefei to the south. Since 1949, particularly since the improvement of the Huai River system and the restoration of the Grand Canal, Pang-pu’s Bengbu’s position as the chief commercial centre of the middle Huai River valley has been consolidated. Industrial growth, however, has been comparatively slow. There are coal mines at Huai-yüan, to the west, and copper mines have been reported opened in the vicinity. Pop. (1990) 449,245.The development of the Huaibei coal field further added to the city’s regional importance. Local industries include food processing and the manufacture of textiles, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and building materials. There are several universities and colleges located in the city area. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 533,323; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 894,000.